West Falkland (shown in white) within the Falkland Islands group

West Falkland, known as Gran Malvina in Spanish, is the second largest of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic, with an area of approximately 4,532 km² (5,413 km² including the adjacent small islands). It is a hilly island, separated from East Falkland by the Falkland Sound. Image File history File links West_Falkland. ... Image File history File links West_Falkland. ... For other uses, see Atlantic (disambiguation) The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one-fifth of its surface. ... East Falkland (beige) shown within Falkland Islands East Falkland, the largest of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic, has an area of 6,605 square kilometres. ... The Falkland Sound is a sea strait in the Falkland Islands. ...

The island has a population of fewer than 200 people, scattered around the coastline. The largest settlement is Port Howard on the east coast, which has an airstrip. Other settlements include Albemarle, Chartres, Fox Bay, Fox Bay West, Hill Cove, Port Stephens, and Roy Cove, most of which are linked by road and also have airstrips and harbours. Port Howard is the largest settlement on West Falkland and is the centre of a 200,000 acre (800 km²) sheep farm. ... An airstrip is a kind of airport that consists only of a runway with perhaps fueling equipment. ... A harbor (or harbour) or haven is a place where ships may shelter from the weather or are stored. ...

West Falkland saw little action during the Falklands War in 1982. These days it is also home to two RAF Reporting Posts: Mount Alice, which is near Port Albermarle in the south of the island, and Mount Byron in the north. These military units are openly listed in the RAF document "RAF Today" (see below). The Falklands War or the Malvinas War (Spanish: Guerra de las Malvinas), was an armed conflict between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the Falkland Islands (also known in Spanish as the Islas Malvinas) and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, between March and June of 1982. ... 1982 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Royal Air Force (often abbreviated to RAF) is the air force branch of the UK Armed Forces. ...

The major industry on the island is sheep farming, while it is also known for its penguin and cormorant colonies. Fishing is also popular in the two main rivers, the Warrah and the Chartres. Sheep husbandry is the raising and breeding of domestic sheep. ... Genera Aptenodytes Eudyptes Eudyptula Megadyptes Pygoscelis Spheniscus Penguins (order Sphenisciformes, family Spheniscidae) are an order of flightless birds living in the southern hemisphere. ... Genera Nannopterum Phalacrocorax Leucocarbo The Phalacrocoracidae family of birds is represented by over thirty species of cormorants and shags. ...

The southernmost point of West Falkland is Cape Meredith. On the southerly side lie high cliffs with an abundance of seabirds and to the west are some white sandy beaches with beautiful clean water and rolling sand dunes with tall grass. Set just back from the top of the clifs is a single wooden hut locally referred to as Uncle Tom's Cabin. The beaches are a favourite haunt for elephant seals and are unpolluted save for the occasional piece of wreckage and the odd washed-up tree trunk. Species M. leonina M. angustirostris There are two species of elephant seal. ...

External links

• RAF Today